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the enjoyment of the crowns remains lasting and unending, extending along with the immortality of those infinite ages. Therefore, wishing to honor them more greatly, he postponed the gift; not for this reason only, but also that they might then have a pure pleasure. For just as one who first lives in luxury and enjoys relaxation, but after this is afflicted, does not perceive the present luxury because of the expectation of future woes; so one who first boxes, and contends, and endures countless evils, but after this is crowned, does not perceive the present woes, being renewed by the hope of future good things. And he not only lightened their present toil by the future hope, but also by arranging for the affliction to come before the relaxation, so that they might not be utterly worn down by their present woes as they look to those things. Thus also boxers receive their wounds eagerly, looking not at the pains, but at the crown; thus also sailors enduring countless dangers, storms, and a certain difficult war, and being arrayed against wild beasts and against malefactors in the sea, take none of these things into account, but look to the harbors and the wealth from their commerce; thus also the martyrs, suffering countless terrible things, and having their bodies cut up by various tortures, looked at none of these things, but gaped towards heaven and the good things from there. And that you may learn that things by nature burdensome and unbearable, these by the hope of future things become light and very easy, listen to the leader of such good things saying: For the momentary lightness of the affliction produces for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. How, tell me? While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

2. These things have not been said by me simply, but for your sake, so that whenever you see someone

living in luxury and enjoying relaxation in this life, but who is about to be punished there, you may not call him blessed because of his present luxury, but rather pity him because of the coming punishment.

And again, whenever you see one of those who are about to enjoy great honor there in affliction and distress, and being in countless evils in this temporary life, do not weep because of the present terrible things, but call him blessed, and consider him to be enviable because of the crowns laid up for him in those infinite ages. Therefore, the nation of the Cilicians bore this saint, which also bore Paul; for he was a fellow citizen of his, and both were put forth to us from there as ministers of the Church. But when the stadium of piety was opened, and the time called him to the contests, he falls in with a harsh beast, the one then judging. And consider the scheme. For seeing that his mindset was firm, and that it was not possible by the severity of the punishment to relax the vigor of his eagerness, he throws him into delays and postponements, continually bringing him in and out.

For he did not, having heard him in one day, cut off his head, so that the brevity of the punishment might not make the course easier for him, but each 50.669 day he brought him in, brought him out, brought forward inquiries, threatened countless tortures, enticed him with flattering words, he set every scheme in motion, attempting to shake the unshakable foundation; and he led him around for a whole year throughout all of Cilicia, putting him to shame, or rather, as he did not expect, showing him to be more glorious; but the martyr himself also cried out in harmony with Paul, Thanks be to God who leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus, and who manifests through us the fragrance of his knowledge in every place. For just as an ointment, as long as it lies in one place, imparts its fragrance to the air of that place only, but when it is brought forth into many places, it fills them all with its own excellence; so indeed it also happened then in the case of the martyr. For he was led about as one who was about to

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τῶν στεφάνων ἡ ἀπόλαυσις μένῃ διαρκὴς καὶ ἀτελεύτητος, τῇ τῶν ἀπείρων αἰώνων ἐκείνων ἀθανασίᾳ συμπαρεκτεινομένη. Μειζό νως τοίνυν αὐτοὺς τιμῆσαι βουλόμενος ἀνεβάλετο τὴν δωρεάν· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ καθαρὰν λοιπὸν ἔχωσι τὴν ἡδονήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πρότερον τρυφῶν καὶ ἀνέσεως ἀπολαύων, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα θλι βόμενος, οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τῆς παρούσης τρυφῆς τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν μελλόντων δεινῶν· οὕτως ὁ πρότερον πυκτεύων, καὶ ἀθλῶν, καὶ μυρία ὑπομένων κακὰ, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα στεφανούμενος, οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τῶν παρόντων δεινῶν, τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἀνανεούμενος. Οὐ τοῦ παρόντος δὲ μόνον ἐκούφισεν αὐτοὺς πόνου τῇ μελλούσῃ ἐλπίδι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τάξει προτέραν τῆς ἀνέσεως κατασκευάσας γίνεσθαι τὴν θλῖψιν, ἵνα μὴ σφόδρα ὑπὸ τῶν παρόντων δεινῶν κατατείνωνται πρὸς ἐκεῖνα βλέποντες. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ πυκτεύοντες δέχονται τὰ τραύματα προθύμως, οὐ πρὸς τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν στέφανον βλέποντες· οὕτω καὶ ναῦται μυρίους ὑπομένοντες κινδύνους, χειμῶνας, καὶ πόλεμόν τινα χαλεπὸν, καὶ πρὸς θηρία ἄγρια, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ κακούργους ἀντιπαραταττόμενοι, οὐδὲν τούτων λογίζονται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς λιμένας, καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐμπορίας πλοῦτον ὁρῶσιν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες μυ ρία πάσχοντες δεινὰ, καὶ τὸ σῶμα διαφόροις βασάνοις κατατεμνόμενοι, πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων ἑώρων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖθεν κεχήνασιν ἀγαθά. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι τὰ φύσει φορτικὰ καὶ ἀφόρητα, ταῦτα τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων κοῦφα καὶ ῥᾷστα γίνεται, ἀκούσατε τοῦ πρωτοστάτου τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαθῶν λέγοντος· Τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν. Πῶς, εἰπέ μοι; Μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα.

βʹ. Ταῦτα δέ μοι οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ὅταν ἴδητέ τινα

τρυφῶντα καὶ ἀνέσεως ἀπολαύοντα ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, μέλλοντα δὲ ἐκεῖ κολάζεσθαι, μὴ μα καρίζητε αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν τρυφὴν, ἀλλὰ ταλα νίζητε διὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν κόλασιν. Καὶ πάλιν ὅταν ἴδη τέ τινα τῶν μελλόντων ἐκεῖ πολλῆς ἀπολαύειν τιμῆς ἐν θλίψει καὶ στενοχωρίᾳ, καὶ μυρίοις ὄντα κακοῖς ἐν τῇ προσκαίρῳ ταύτῃ ζωῇ, μὴ δακρύητε διὰ τὰ παρόντα δεινὰ, ἀλλὰ μακαρίζητε, καὶ ζηλωτὸν εἶναι νομίζητε διὰ τοὺς ἀποκειμένους αὐτῷ στεφάνους ἐν τοῖς ἀπείροις αἰῶσιν ἐκείνοις. Ἤνεγκε μὲν οὖν τὸν ἅγιον τοῦτον τὸ τῶν Κιλίκων ἔθνος, ὃ καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἤνεγκε· συμπολίτης γὰρ ἦν ἐκείνου, καὶ ἀμφότεροι ὑπουργοὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκεῖθεν ἡμῖν προεβλήθησαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ στάδιον ἀνέῳγε τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄθλους αὐτὸν ὁ καιρὸς ἐκάλει, περιπίπτει χαλεπῷ θηρίῳ τῷ τότε δικάζοντι. Καὶ σκοπεῖτε τὴν μηχανήν. Ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα στεῤῥὸν, καὶ ὡς οὐ δυνατὸν τῇ σφοδρότητι τῆς τιμωρίας ὑπεκλῦσαι τὸ εὔτονον τῆς προθυμίας, εἰς μελλήσεις αὐτὸν ἐμβάλ λει καὶ ἀναβολὰς, εἰσάγων καὶ ἐξάγων συνεχῶς.

Οὐ γὰρ ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ ἀκούσας ἀπέτεμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κε φαλὴν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ σύντομον τῆς τιμωρίας εὐκολώτε ρον αὐτῷ ποιήσῃ τὸν δρόμον, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑκάστην 50.669 ἡμέραν εἰσῆγεν, ἐξῆγεν, πεύσεις προσῆγε, βασάνους μυρίας ἠπείλει, λόγοις κολακευτικοῖς ἐδελέαζε, πᾶ σαν ἐκίνει μηχανὴν τὸν ἄσειστον θεμέλιον ἐπιχειρῶν διασαλεύειν· καὶ περιῆγεν αὐτὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ὁλόκληρον πανταχοῦ τῆς Κιλικίας καταισχύνων, μᾶλλον δὲ, ὡς οὐκ ᾤετο, λαμπρότερον ἀποφαίνων· ὁ δὲ μάρτυς ἐβόα καὶ αὐτὸς συνῳδὰ τῷ Παύλῳ, Χάρις τῷ Θεῷ τῷ θριαμβεύοντι ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι δι' ἡμῶν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ. Καθάπερ γὰρ μύρον ἕως μὲν ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ κεῖται, ἐκεῖνον μόνον ἀναχρώννυσι τὸν ἀέρα τῆς εὐωδίας, ἐπειδὰν δὲ εἰς πολλὰ προενεχθῇ χωρία, πάντα ἐμπίπλησι τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μάρτυρος συνέβαινε τότε. Περιήγετο μὲν γὰρ ὡς μέλλων